The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1887-07-21
GENUINE AGRICULTURAL COL
{ LEGES.
Their Work and Benefits.

Paper HI-Ne Mississippi Agricultural
CoUege-Satements from ats Presa-'
dent, General Stephen ID. Lee
Object and Purpose Of
-. the College.
The Legislature Of Mississippi, by
her Act of February 28th, 1878, In
carrying out the Federal Act, pre-
scribed in the powers given to the
Board of Trustees-the establishment
and maintenance Of a frst-class insti-
tuition, at which the youth of the State
may acquire a common, school educa-
ton. and a scientific and practical
knowledge of agriculture, horticulture,
and the. mechanic arts, and also the
proper care and growth of stock, with
out, however, excluding other scien-
! tific and classical studies and includ
ing military tactics. They shall regu-
late the course of study, rates of tuition,
management of experimental farm,
manner of performing labor, and the
kind of labor to be performed by
students" The Board of Trustees
have endeavored to carry out the spirit
of the act, viz: ~"To benefit agricul-
ture and the mechanic arts"
The organization Of the College is
primarily such as to familiarize stu
dents with the leading objects as set
forth in the acts, viz: To educate and
direct their minds and tastes to agri-
culture, horticulture, care and growth
of stock, management of farms, man
ner of performing labor and to the
mechanic. To cover this ground, a
student must have a liberal education
of a high grade, in order to compre-
bend the sciences, which underlie
agriculture and the mechanic arts"
It must be such as to enable a student
readily to understand the sciences and
in acquiring theoretical knowledge, it
must be coupled with industrial and
practical training. Students must
also be familiar with farms and labor,
they must labor themselves to keep in
sympathy with the interests they are
being educated to benefit, and this
labor must be a part of their educa-
ton, and it is educational in so far as
it is in illustration Of students taught
in the recitation room.
The classroom instruction goes
hand in hand with industrial training,
given by labor on the farm, in raising
and ~cultivating all kinds of crops;
breeding, caring for, and feeding
pure-bred, graded and native cattle
for dairy and beef purposes with the
creamery and butter handling in the
gardens, vineyards, orchards in small
fruit culture, the commercial nursery
and Horticulture /; in handling tools,
with labor-saving implements, etc.
The Faculty is an able, earnest and
united n +; they are all firm believers
in industrial education there is not a
discordant element in it, and all are
enthusiastic in their work.
ATTENDANCE.
Counting the attendance in each
session as shown by the record, we
have had at the College since our
opening, in September, 1880, 1890
students in a little over five years, and
average yearly attendance of 3l5.
This record surpasses that of any
other similar institution for the first
five years. This was up to close of
session, '84-'85.)
THE INDUSTRIAL FEATURE.
The principle Of technical education
as Loyalty carried out in the interest
of agriculture as it now is in the edu-
cation of the soldier, sailor, doctor,
lawyer, engineer, mechanic, will pro-
duce like results in preparing young
men for the profession of a farmer. It
is doing it at this College. Of 81
living graduates, ID of them r n
gagged at farming or kindred pursuits
over fifty per cent. Every student
here is instructed theoretically and
practically in agriculture. and it is
telling on the body of students, most
of whom indicate that they will be
farmers, when their education is COM
pleted.
The amount of work done by each
student depends in a great measure
upon the student himself, although it
is compulsory on all, if the student is
healthy and the weather permits. A
willing, earnest student shows better
results than the unwilling, careless
boy, who requires punishment to en-.
force his work, studies, or other duties.
Our. experience shows that generally
those students who are most, -earnast